Atlas on Pandora
by bublinka
Summary: Fiona discovers some unexpected cybernetics of Rhys.


Finally back to civilization, hot water and sanitary equipment Fiona relaxed her back against a cool bathroom wall, letting the water run over her face, eyes closed. It seemed so heavenly good after several days in the jungle filled with moist, hot air.

The Vault did not provide any riches, anything, to be honest. Still she could not bring herself to feel disappointed. By no means she was going to say stupid things about finding true friends, having an adventure of her lifetime, testing her abilities being more important than treasure. No, there were more Vaults, and she was coming for them. That simple.

The room was becoming more and more filled with steam, and her breathing got a little ragged. That reminded of the blasted forest, and Fiona turned off the water with a displeased grunt. She opened the glass shower door and entered the space with hangers and lockers, happy to feel the cool air raising the goosebumps on her arms.

Sighing in a content manner she wiped her body with a towel provided by somhis tone facility personnel. She was somewhat surprised to realize her clothes were gone, and only the bathing gown was given to her in its place. Someone, someone with beard and a ponytail, was going to pay for that. And if her hat suffered their ways of cleaning... Fiona frowned slightly, wrapping herself in the gown, and going outside the dressing room to the shower area vestibule.

There, just near the door, a man with hunched back was sitting. She immediately recognized those bluish tattoos covering his upper body that remained uncovered for some reason. His right cybernetic arm was supported by an elbow on his knee, and the console was active. Fiona came nearer and saw he was playing Tetris, the favorite Felix's game.

"Rhys," she exclaimed laughing merrily, " you suck at this game!" He had eight rows on the bottom of the screen.

He jumped to his feet, towering over her as usual. "I, uh... Didn't have much time for practice," he explained lamely, the happy smile appearing on his face. He lowered his hand down and the screen turned off automatically.

Fiona found her eyes roaming over his chest and his abdomen. She let a breath out, and forced herself to look at his face, which, to her utter shame, was the most innocent and sincerely caring one.

"Wh-why are you shirtless?" She asked out of her own volition.

Rhys shrugged his shoulders, and she had to admit that in current circumstances it was a really nice to look at movement. Rhys was tall, lean, and so youthfully slender, that she was both blessed and damned by his lack of clothes.

"I guess, the same reason you're in a gown?" He suggested absentmindedly. "It looks a lot like Vaughn's sense of humor. But I think we should let it slip. He did save us." Rhys smiled once again, this time with both lips and eyes.

"Yeah." Fiona looked up at him, stepping closer. His eyes, she could get lost in them. When she was alone with that impossibly attractive man, she was another person. A person who was able to have all spectre of emotions.

"So glad we made it. Again." He whispered passionately, pulling her into an embrace, putting his both hands on her back. It felt so right, that the protest did not even show up at the back of her mind. Fiona turned her head and pressed her left cheek to his left collarbone. He was so warm and smelled of the same soap. He was waiting for her, she realized. That brought a little secret grin on her lips. Her head was spinning with all the unresolved questions.

"Rhys..." She muttered. "...are we a thing now?" She hated being the one who needed everything to be told bluntly, but she was really bad at hints.

"...s up to you." Came a response muffled by her hair. "Cause I vote for 'yes'." He added with a featherlight kiss on her head.

She almost squealed like a little girl. Instead she buried her nose in him, biting on her lip. She knew she must tell him her decision straight to face.

Fiona motioned up and he relaxed his arms to give her space. Fiona placed her hands on his chest and locked her eyes with his.

"I vote for 'yes' too." She said with all affection she could master.

Rhys watched her admiringly. "We won that vote, I gather." He finally replied, his eyes glittering with amusement, barely holding the laughter that erupted seconds later, catching them both unprepared.

But then, all of a sudden, Rhys sobered. He cleared his throat. Fiona traced his face with an uneasy worry crinkling her forehead.

"Are you... okay with cybernetics?" He managed to vocalize his doubts. "I never had a girlfriend since I got them." Rhys elaborated, sweating visibly, and wiping his face with his normal hand.

That was a thing to consider, Fiona agreed silently. She actually admired him being so honest and brave about it.

She put her fingers on his cyber-upper arm slowly, hesitantly. It was not very cold, and some movements, some processes were buzzing under the surface.

"Does it feel my touch?" She wondered quietly.

Rhys huffed. "It? Me, you wanted to say."

Fiona nodded, little red coloring her cheeks. She didn't want to offend him.

Rhys only patted her back reassuringly. "I feel everything with my cyber-skin."

Fiona sighed relieved. It was not like a dead thing, good. Grinning wickedly, she pressed her lips to the arm. She heard a sharp intake of air, but had no means to see his widened eyes.

"That too," he let out in a rasped voice, "a-and...th-that...too." Fiona heard him stuttering as she ran her tongue over his shining cyber-skin.

"Good to know," she declared, straightening herself to admire his flushed face. "I'm totally okay with your cyberthings." She continued, hugging him under his arms happily. The last obstacle gone, she let herself melt into him...only to find he was not melted at all. On the contrary...

Fiona blushed severely, her pulse humming in her head. She giggled nervously and hated herself for that.

"What's so funny?" Rhys inquired, his tone, all husky and rich, proving that a feeling against her lower belly was not an imaginary one.

She felt like a clueless teenager. "Well, y'know, all those jokes going like 'is it your stunbaton, or are you really glad to see me' just flooded my mind... Sorry, I'm so nervous..." She confessed burying herself in his shoulder once again.

"Haha... Me too," Rhys replied weakly, and she wondered if she had spoilt it, as he was certainly too self-aware now.

"Cause my cybernetics... you have not seen them all." Rhys let out not at all eagerly, and she felt his fingers trembling on her waist.

She had seen his legs in the jungle when they crossed the river, she saw his torso right now... Oh.

"You don't mean?" She looked at him hopefully.

"I do." He answered, somewhat proudly, but also shamefully. He put his hands down to his sides expecting her to step away. She didn't.

"Rhys..." She closed her mouth with a hand. "What a kind of pervert are you?" She couldn't believe her ears.

He blinked at her, like a sad puppie. "But...it's Atlas, I couldn't let the technology like that rot..." He tried to explain.

Fiona ran a hand over her face, thinking how she could solve the problem. She liked him, but it was too weird.

"Okay, let me be blunt. Is it metallic?" She visibly struggled with the words, clutching her hands behind her back.

"No no no no no," Rhys hurried to explain.

"Then you did not cut the...khm...original thing off?" Fiona thought she was going to die from humiliation. But of course it was even worse for him.

"Of course not!" Rhys exclaimed in unaturally high voice. "Look, it is just a tattoo, like on my neck, the black one..." He decided to avoid the inappropriate investigation further.

Fiona arched an eyebrow.

"Oh? Maybe, maybe, you could've said it at once, you jerk?!" She yelled angrily. "You made me ask you..."

"Don't repeat it, please. Ever." Rhys interrupted her, taking her hand in his. "I'm sorry. I just never... tested it.." He smiled guiltily. "I don't want to hurt you." He looked straight into her eyes, and it was a look of pure kindness.

Fiona grabbed his other arm, bringing them together in front of her. "As if you could." She snorted. "Pandora was the death of many Atlas tech."


End file.
